The Russian & Slavic Studies Department has voted to express our concerns regarding the NYU 2031 plan for expansion on the superblocks and Houston Streets for the following reasons:

• There has not been adequate or genuine consultation with the faculty regarding the rationale for the plan, the logic of expansion, its location and design, and the health and environmental consequences of an anticipated twenty years of construction.
• There has been no transparency regarding the budgeting for an extremely costly building campaign in a time of longstanding fiscal uncertainty.
• The disruption caused by construction in Washington Square Village or Silver Towers will have serious adverse effects on the retention and recruitment of high quality faculty, which is at the heart of our academic mission.
• The execution of the 2031 plan may result in an irreparable rift with our community neighbors given the plan's anticipated rezoning for commercial development and the reduction of public greenspace in this high-density residential area.